Note

The
score contains a 6x6-inch color image of eight different nebulae, with of
a set of integers superimposed on each image. Each of the images is
displayed on a single page and represents one section or movement of
the music.

Nebulae, which often contain bright colors and interesting shapes, are
interstellar gas clouds located within our Milky Way or other galaxy.
Nebulae are typically the remnants of exploding stars. Astronomers
believe some of these colorful gas clouds to be the birthplace of
infant stellar activity.

Images of the eight nebulae displayed in the score were
photographed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope from Jan. 1996 to
Dec. 1999, and made available to the public by The Hubble Heritage
Team at NASA. The name of each nebula is listed below and to the left
of the image, and the month and year it was photographed is displayed
on the right.

The integers used in the score were drawn from the
names of the eight nebulae. The integers placed on each image were
determined by the letters in the alphabet which spell-out the name of
each nebula. The letter 'a' corresponds to the number 1, the
letter 'b' to 2, and so on.

Play a sound-group for each integer located within the image. Integers
represent the number of sounds to be played for each sound-group. Each
integer corresponds to a single sound-group and indicates the number
of sounds to be played for that group.

Larger integers may be subdivided for ease of counting. Read all
integers once only.

A sound-group may contain a succession of single tones,
chords, or any combination of both. Sound-groups may consist of
varied and contrasting patterns, melodic patterns, rhythmic patterns,
ascending and descending patterns, shaped phrases and gestures,
repeated patterns, repeated tones, etc.

Musical elements for each sound-group such as pitch, dynamics, speed,
rhythm, and articulation are free.

Integers are both white and black to contrast against the background for
better readability. However in sections 1, 2, 3, and 5, where both
white and black integers are displayed, the player may or may not
assign any musical distinction to the contrasted integers, such as
soft-loud dynamics, high-low pitch register, legato-staccato, etc.

Play each sound-group independently of any other. Any sound-group may or
may not be followed by a silence. Fractional
silences may occur within a single sound-group.

Overall, silences between sound-groups and between sections (nebulae)
should be varied to preserve the continuity of the music. Varied
silences should range from a fraction of a second to several
seconds.

Integers distributed on the page may be read in any order, but are most
easily read from top to bottom. Movements are read sequentially (from
1 through 8).

The images are to be projected in succession (Nos. 1 - 8) on a large
screen, so that both the player and the image may be seen from the
audience. Each image is to be projected on the screen for the same
duration the music for that image is being played.

An accompanying CDROM disc is included with the score. The disc contains
screen files (jpeg) of the eight images, which may be loaded onto a
MAC or PC hard drive. The computer is then connected to a digital
projector. Any slide-show software, such as PowerPoint, can be used
to project the images.

Optional: Signal processing devices or techniques may be employed as
timbral enhancement to the music. In general, the Piano should be
dominant, while the electronically processed sounds play a more
supporting role.